Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday acknowledged for the first time that he would “have to give answers” for security lapses exposed in the deadly October 7 attacks by Hamas.

“We will examine in detail, we will get to the bottom of it,” said Netanyahu, who has faced a barrage of opposition and media criticism after Gaza militants breached Israeli border defences.

“The fault will be examined and everyone will have to give answers, including me. But all this will happen later,” the right-wing leader said in a televised address as the Israeli military prepares for a widely expected invasion of the Gaza Strip.

“As prime minister I am responsible for securing the future of the country,” he added.

Israel says 1,400 people, most of whom were civilians, died in the attacks.

Gaza’s Hamas government says that Israeli air and artillery bombing since October 7 have left more than 6,500 dead, including some 2,700 children.

With tens of thousands of Israeli troops massed at the Gaza border, Netanyahu said “we are raining down hellfire” with the air strikes and that “all Hamas terrorists are dead men walking — above ground, below ground, outside Gaza”.

“We are preparing the ground offensive,” Netanyahu said.

“I cannot say when, how or how many, nor all the elements that we are taking into account, of which most are not known to the public,” he added.

Netanyahu said Israel’s war cabinet, named after October 7, would “unanimously” decide the time of the offensive.

Israel has an army of about 165,000 and has called up 360,000 reservists, some on the Gaza border and others moved to the border with Lebanon, where the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement has been staging daily artillery attacks.

A 20-year-old youth died in a stampede during a ‘Ravana Dahan’ ceremony here in Manesar area, police said on Wednesday.

The stampede happened around 6.30 pm on Tuesday when an unknown youth set fire to sky-shot crackers in the middle of the market where ‘Ravana Dahan’ was being held on the occasion of Dussehra, they said.

The ‘Ravana Dahan’ was organised by the Market Association in Manesar Sector 1 Market.

Bihar resident Piyush Kumar (20) who was present in the crowd fell and got injured. He was taken to the hospital but he died during treatment, police said.

ACP Manesar Surendra Singh said that the family members of Mr Kumar have been informed. The ACP said that the real cause of death would be clear after the post-mortem examination. Further action will be taken based on the family’s complaint, he said.

A 46-year-old private security guard of a group housing society in Noida was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly molesting a 10-year-old girl, police said.

An FIR was registered against the guard, who works in the society in Sector 77, at Sector 113 police station, they said.

According to an official, the incident took place around 5 pm on Sunday when the girl was returning home from the society playground.

“On the basis of a complaint filed by the girl’s parents, the FIR was lodged under Section 354 (using assault or force with the intention of outraging the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and under provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

“The accused was arrested today from Sector 77,” a police spokesperson said.

In a separate case in the same police station area, a 26-year-old man was arrested for allegedly molesting a 9-year-old girl in July, according to the spokesperson.

The accused lived in the girl’s building and an FIR was lodged against him on the basis of a complaint filed by her family on July 28, the official said.

“The FIR in this case was lodged under sections 354 and 354 A (sexual harassment) of the IPC and under provisions of the POCSO Act. The accused was arrested today near Sector 50 metro station,” the police spokesperson said.

Further legal proceedings are underway in both cases, police said.